Dead Calm Sea
by AngelZ Of DarKness
Summary: Cell has been defeated and now the world is finally at peace. Except Vegeta is still has angry as ever after his additional loss. After a year and a half gone, Bulma is glad to have him back. Now with a child between them, will the two be able to go back to how they used to be? Or will they remain distant from his abandonment? Sequel to When Tides Collide. BXV
1. Chapter 1

A/N: So if you couldn't tell, I've decided to write the sequel. If you haven't read 'When Tides Collide', while I do recommend it, I'm going to try to write this as a stand-alone as well. I don't have this story prewritten like the last, so make sure to alert the story so you'll know when I update! Thanks for ready and I hope you all enjoy this story!

"Who's a cutie?" Bulma asked her son as he laid in her lap. Staring down at the small baby, a grin was on her lips as her touch resulted in a fit of giggles from him.

Trunks had been only a few months old at this point, his presence alone making a huge impact in her life. She still remembered when he wasn't here. She thought being a mother would put an end to her life. She didn't think she'd be able to be the young, beautiful woman she was at the time. Thinking about it now, she couldn't believe she thought that way.

She wasn't just beautiful now, she was gorgeous! "Can you say 'mama'?" She asked him with a growing smile.

The baby just stared up at her, his lips blowing spit around.

She sighed softly at his response, she had yet to see if her intelligence had been passed down to her child. Since Trunk's had his father's looks, she hoped she could at least get that much. Leaning back against the couch, she hugged her son close to her.

Trunk's could only make sounds as he still had yet to learn to speak. His legs and arms flailed around as he was pressed close to her chest.

Bulma smiled and shook her head, "Yeah, yeah. I hear you loud and clear buddy." Getting up from the comfort of her seat, she carried him to his swing. Turning it on, she watched as her son smiled at her. Watching him for only a few moments, she soon walked away when seeing that he was now occupied with the small toys that hung in front of his face.

She found herself walking in front of the nearest window, her fingers parting the blinds to peak outside.

Her eyes rested on the spaceship that rested her yard, taking the spot that had once been vacant for the last year and a half. Was he in there training away like he used to? Or was he still hiding away in his room?

With Cell beat, she hadn't seen much of Vegeta since he had come back to the planet. He hadn't stopped to speak to her a single time. He hadn't tried to see Trunks even once. Sure their son from the future had been around both of them, but it just wasn't the same. She wished Vegeta would come around at least a little to see what he had abandoned.

Tearing her eyes away, she stepped away from the window. "You can't let him get to you..." She told herself softly. She had grieved over him, it took months to get over him. She had finally accepted that he wasn't going to be in her life any longer. She moved on. Vegeta was back, she wasn't sure for how long this time.

If he was willing to leave her once, he'd do it again. Their past was exactly that. They weren't the same people they were a year ago.

But seeing him again for the first time... It was hard for her. When she was in that hoverjet with Yajirobe, she had come to the scene just to see what the androids looked like. She had missed seeing what Frieza looked like, she didn't want to miss out on seeing who exactly everyone had been training so hard to fight. Arriving, she just had not expected to see him there.

He looked as confident as he always did. The only difference was his appearance. No longer was his flame like hair jetblack. Instead, it was blond. Those onyx eyes were now teal. He had done it, just like she knew he would. He had become a Super Saiyan. A rush of emotions had overcome her, distracting her from the blast that was aimed her way.

She almost died because she couldn't take her eyes off of him,

Hearing her sons giggles, her attention when towards the lavender haired boy. Trunk's was all she had left of the Vegeta she last knew. He was all she needed.

A lot can happen in a year, a lot of things that she had to shoulder by herself. A year of built up hurt from not having him to lean on. Though he was living with her once more, she couldn't see herself having the same relationship as before. She didn't hate him, far from it. She just wished he would face her and give her some sort of explanation.

Going back to the couch, she took the seat she had claimed earlier. Getting comfortable, she rested her cheek on her propped up arm. Watching her son swing back and forth, she enjoyed listening to his baby talk for the next few minutes.

* * *

His eyes were glued on the ceiling above him. His back rested on the bed that had once been familiar to him. What was he even doing here? What was he doing? Was he stupid?

He shouldn't have come back.

In the end, he still hadn't been strong enough. Cell had beaten him, broke many bones inside of his body. If only he hadn't been so full of himself! If he would have just killed the freak while he was still imperfect... Then everything would have been fine. He found his hands clenching to fists, his eyes burning a hole in the ceiling.

If he would have just stayed out in space, the other fighters would have been fine without him. As usual, he had just made everything just more complicated.

If it weren't for that lower class's brat, they would have all been dead. Cell would have won and killed all that had opposed him.

One of his hands covered his face, hoping to hide the shame that covered his expression. He felt disgusted with himself. Not only did he fail himself, he had failed his son. Thanks to his choices, he let one of the two people he cared for die. He hadn't even died in a prideful way. His life had been taken away thanks to a sudden cheap shot.

Even with the rage that had filled him in the moment, he couldn't even get his revenge against Cell. With all of the strength he had, it was still useless. Cell have overcome him anyway.

Did she know about what happened? Did Bulma know that her son had been murdered thanks to his decisions? He couldn't imagine that she didn't know. Her friends opened their mouth too easily. Was that why she had yet to speak to him since he had come back to the planet? He had expected her to be jumping with joy to see him back. Hadn't she missed him? He missed her.

His pride refused to show his face, he wasn't ready to see the disappointed look in her eye. Dropping his hand to the side, he wasn't sure what he should do with himself. The world wasn't going to end, not today at least. While everyone else celebrated, he punished himself. Hell, he had barely been able to see the boy off. His son had no hard feelings towards him yet here he still was, getting even more angry.

His thoughts had come to a halt when he suddenly heard a familiar cry in the distance. He groaned, wondering why her room had to be so close to his. Their child stayed in her room, always finding the perfect moment to annoy Vegeta with his crying. Finding himself sitting up, he glanced at his doorway. Despite the brats age, he had yet to actually see him up close. Hearing the crying continue, he wondered what she was doing? He could feel her ki close, he knew she was on the compound. Couldn't she hear him? Even without his sensitive hearing, the kid had some powerful lungs.

Standing up from his bed, he was almost hesitant. Was he even ready to see them? Wasn't he acting like a coward by staying in here? He was no coward, that was for sure. Finding himself with his natural scowl, he left his room. His attention immediately went for her door, noticing it was cracked. Sucking in a breath, he pressed his finger against the wooden surface. Lightly pushing it open, he noticed that her room had lacked her presence. Opening the door fully, he noticed the crib that rested against the wall. The crying was most definitely coming from the source.

Stepping forward, he was not surprised that her room had been this messy. She hadn't changed since the last time he was here. Taking a breath, he immediately regretted it. Her scent was everywhere. His fingernails were digging in his palm, his instinct wanting to kick in. Yet his shame had still held control of him.

The sniffling in front of him had brought him back to his senses. Stepping in front of the crib, he looked down at the child inside. His body stiffened, the boy from the future definitely was his son, this confirmed it for him.

Trunks had watery tears filling his eyes, his face pained as his arms stretched out to the newcomer. It was obvious he wanted out, he didn't care who it was that would relieve him of his prison.

Vegeta scowled at the expression, wondering why his son looked so pathetic. "Stop that crying immediately!" He barked at him, the tears leaving no effect on him.

The lavender colored hair boy flinched at the sudden volume. He had never been yelled at before, this was new. A new layer of tears fell as a scream erupted from his throat.

"Vegeta..?"

His head snapped in the direction of her voice, his breath suddenly caught in his throat.

Bulma stood there, looking as beautiful as he last remembered. While she looked exhausted with bags under her eyes, he had looked past that. "What are you doing here?" She then asked him, her attention going from him to their crying son.

It took him a moment to process her question, finally he had looked back to the crying source. "He's crying." He managed to say, his skin prickling as he felt her near him.

Bulma chuckled, "Babies do that." She told him before leaning over the crib, picking Trunks up. "He just woke up from a nap. He's probably hungry."

Vegeta noticed the crying stopped immediately as soon as the boy was in her arms. He crossed his arms, fixing his composure. "Don't you think you're spoiling him?" He asked her, feeling disgusted at the wet trails on his cheeks.

She shook her head, "I don't think so." Turning from the other, she headed towards her door before pausing. She faced him once more, "Will you be joining us for dinner?" She asked, almost hesitantly.

His jaw suddenly felt tight, the question not settling too well. Was he even ready to show his face to her family again? How much longer did he plan on holing himself away in his room? He frowned but nodded, "Sure." He noticed the small smile on her lips, realizing how much he missed her smiles. A part of him just wanted to sit down with her, tell her how he felt. However he had already proven how weak he was physically. He wasn't ready to do that mentally as well. He looked away from her, walking past her to get out of her room. With his back to her, he waved his hand at her. "Just let me know when it's done. Let your mother know I want something juicy."

Bulma watched him walk towards his room, her smile growing slowly as she hugged their son close to her. "Of course, your majesty." A soft sigh formed when his door closed behind him, she looked down at Trunks. The child really looked like him. "About time he showed his face, huh?"


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: So here is chapter two to the story! Just a quick heads up, I felt suuper weird writing this because Vegeta seems OOC to me. But I needed to write this to move on with the story. Hopefully you all can look past that and enjoy this! Let me know what you thought in a review! Love reading those!**

Sitting across from the brat in the grass, his brows narrowed as the child held a matching expression. Trunks really did look like him.

"They're getting along pretty well." Bunny pointed out to her daughter as they sat at the patio, glasses of tea in their hands. It was a nice day out, everyone decided it would be better to enjoy the weather outside rather than staying in the house all day.

Bulma had her eyes on Vegeta, her head nodding. Though it wasn't all of the time, she noticed that he had actually been out here more often. While he wasn't exactly speaking to her as much as they once had, she was happy that Vegeta was willing to play with their son. Well, 'play' was a strong word. Even now, they were just staring at each other. She wasn't quite sure what was going through their minds.

"I think so too," She told her mother with a nod.

Trunks had a frown on his mouth as he glared at his father. Finally some sounds spewed from his mouth, all unintelligible. His arms flailed around him.

Vegeta shook his head, "No."

Trunks puffed his lower lip out, disliking how he was being treated. When he tried to speak, he usually got acceptance and smiles from his mother and grandparents. But his father... With a frown, he screeched at him.

Vegeta scowled, "Stop that!"

Trunks flinched, his mouth snapping shut. He didn't like his father.

Bulma smiled softly, her cheek resting against her propped up arm.

Bunny noticed her daughter and smiled as well, "Have you two spoke about what happened? It's been a few months now..."

She shook her head, "I don't want to pressure him. He'll tell me why he left eventually." She shrugged her shoulders. "The fact that he actually came back is enough for me."

Her father sat next to her mother, the usual cup of coffee in his hand. "He hasn't really used the training room since he came back, has he?"

Bulma shook her head, "Not that I've noticed." She told him as she kept her sight on her son and his father. "Maybe he's going through something, I'm sure as soon as Trunks can walk, he'll have him in there training with him." She didn't doubt it, while she didnt think a baby should be put under Vegeta's expectations, she was just happy that they were making some progress.

Her smile fell and a sigh formed, she still couldn't help but wonder why he had yet to speak to her about everything. She still had the memory of him blasting off burned into her mind. Even when she managed to speak to him on her communicator, all she got was an apology. Then all of that time after just silence.

What if he had died out in space? What if something actually happened to him? No one would have known, no one could save him. She could only be left waiting to see if he'd come back or not.

Now he was here and avoided her like she was the plague. She wanted an explanation damn it! She tried to play herself off as patient but she was dying on the inside! Who did he think he was? Making her feel this way? Maybe she should just go and demand some sort of answer.

It wouldn't be the first time she would have to demand an answer from the stubborn prince.

She sipped down the rest of her drink before setting the glass to the side. Standing up, she found herself walking towards the two. Stopping in front of Trunks, she grinned at her little man. "Are you ready to take a nap?"

Vegeta scrunched his nose at her voice, the highness of her voice making him cringe. She was talking to their son as if he was some dog or such.

Trunks however loved the voice, his scowl replaced with a grin. His hands stretched out with a giggle splirting from his mouth. "Ma...!"

Bulma gave a matching grin as she scooped him up into her arms. Ignoring Vegeta's disgusted look, she turned away from him.

"Your dad looks pretty scary doesn't he?" She whispered to him with a giggle as she passed her parents. "I'm going to put him to bed. See if I can get him to take a nap, he didn't sleep too well last night." She explained to them before slipping inside of the house.

Heading to the living room, she went straight for his swing that she knew he loved so much. Setting him down, she felt her stomach fill with warmth as she watched her baby smile.

He really was a gift.

"Go to sleep or you're gonna be cranky later. I get enough of that from your dad." She told him as she took a seat on the couch. Grabbing the remote, she went ahead and turned on the TV. She knew if she left the room, Trunks would never go to sleep. So figuring she could find something to watch, she searched for a movie.

Trunks yawned, his hands clenching and unclenching as he reached out for his mother.

She glanced his way before she shook her head, "Nap time." Seeing him frown at her, she had to hold in a laugh. Even when angry, he looked cute. Sighing softly, she found herself something to watch. Getting comfortable on the couch, she tried her hardest to keep her attention on the screen rather than her son. Luckily her hard work paid off as she noticed him slowly closing his eyes. No matter how hard he tried to fight it, she knew he'd be asleep.

* * *

His attention was up at the cloudless sky, his face emotionless for just a moment. As he sat in the grass, he realized something... How quiet everything was around him. For once in his time being on this dreadful planet, everything was at peace. So why? Why was he so agitated all of the time?

Was it because he hadn't trained in months? Before, his life had only been eat, sleep and train. He didn't have the time to enjoy what was around him.

Looking to the side, he stared at the GR. He just simply wasn't ready to step inside of it again. It would just remind him how much of a failure he was again. Tearing his eyes away, he stood up from the spot he had been sitting. Turning towards the house, he just wanted to go back to his room.

"You're heading inside?" Bunny asked surprised. "The weather is too nice today!"

Vegeta glanced her way for only a moment, her cheeriness making him flinch. He didn't know what to tell the blond woman, nodding instead as his answer.

Slipping inside the house, he found himself frowning.

He hated himself for acting this way. Why did he find it suddenly so hard to talk to those around him? Everything was supposed to be better, yet it only felt worse.

He found himself heading towards the stairs, pausing when seeing Bulma on the couch. He noticed her attention was on the TV, she was most likely watching another one of her ridiculous movies of hers. The scene itself seemed like deja vu. Glancing up the stairs, he wanted to ignore her and just go to his room. A small part wanted him to just talk to her.

Why did everything have to be so difficult with her?

He found himself abandoning his path, instead turning towards her. Taking silent steps forward, he ignored her curious glance as he sat down a foot away from her. Glancing over at Trunks, he was surprised to see the kid sleeping away. He looked quite at peace when he was out like this.

His attention then went to the TV, his arms crossing against his chest. He needed to talk to her, he needed to get over whatever he was up against. Even if he had hours to plan out a conversation, he wouldn't know how to start. He had so much he needed to explain, so much that it overwhelmed him.

He wanted to apologize to her, but that alone did not settle too well. He battled with himself constantly, his past self mocking him. Why should he apologize to a weak human? Why would the way she felt about him matter? Why should he waste his breath?

"Want me to make some popcorn?" Bulma asked in a hushed voice, breaking him from his troubled thoughts.

Vegeta grunted, shaking his head. His foot lightly tapped against the floor in frustration, his brows knit together.

Bulma watched him silently, a bit of concern on her face. By the looks of it, if he kept at it the way he was, he'd blow up. Finally, she felt like she needed to say something to ease the tension. "Everything okay?"

His eyes went to hers, holding her there for a moment. Finally he looked at the lavender hair boy. "Trunks... How old is he now?" He finally asked.

Her brows rose in surprise for a moment before a soft smile came to her lips. "Here in a few weeks he'll be one. Mom wants to throw a big birthday for him." She explained, her sight following his. "I think she's going a little overboard but you know how she is..." She sighed, "He's growing up too fast."

"A year..." Vegeta repeated, his brows furrowing. "Was it hard?" He then asked, noticing the confusion on her face. "Having him and all that."

She brought her knees up to her chest, the movie playing in the background now drowned out by their conversation. "Oh... I mean... I guess it wasn't easy really but it's not something I wouldn't be willing to do again." She found her face suddenly feeling warm, "Of course, maybe after Trunks is a bit older." She added.

Vegeta watched her as she got flustered before he looked back at their son. "It's strange seeing him like this."

"What do you mean?" She asked, turning towards him.

He couldn't help but look slightly uncomfortable. "On Planet Vegeta, when a child was born, they was taken away from their parents." He began to explain.

Bulma felt herself grow excited by the fact that Vegeta was bringing up something from his home planet, seeing as the other rarely ever spoke about it. But at the same time, she felt horrified, "Take them away? Why?"

Vegeta shrugged, "It was so the brat wouldn't get attached. That's why birthing pods were created... They gave them what they needed up until they were a year old." He found himself staring at Trunks again, it felt like he did exactly what every other Saiyan would have done. He abandoned his kid, except he did so before he was even born.

"So what happened to them after they turned one?" She then asked, nudging him out of his thoughts.

Vegeta finally cracked a small smile, "They were thrown into training. First with Saibamen until they could handle a fight with actual enemies."

Her expression managed to turn even more horrified, "Are you serious? They're only one!" She exclaimed, gasping soon after when realizing she almost woke their son up. "They actually could handle that?"

He scoffed, "Of course. They were Saiyans." He explained, as if it were obvious. "Unlike your weak human race, my race was built to fight."

Bulma smiled, "Do you think Trunks is weak?"

He hesitated, he didn't know. He hadn't been around the kid to know enough. "He cries a lot."

She laughed, the sound bringing some ease to him. "He's a baby, he's supposed to."

He frowned and shook his head, he didn't want his son to be that much of a crybaby. Maybe if he actually put more effort in being a father, he could toughen Trunks up. Sitting back against the couch, he stayed quiet for a bit. After a few minutes passed by, he found himself glancing her way again. He felt himself growing frustrated again, he didn't understand it. Why couldn't things just go back to the way it was before he left? Back when they screwed around and there were no feelings attached. These damn feelings were just making everything so much more complicated!

He would rather be beaten senseless than have to sit here another minute with all of these thoughts filling his head! He glanced to the side, looking at the stairs. He could leave whenever he wanted, nothing was stopping him. Yet, he felt like the pressure of his past decisions were holding him down. He clenched his fists closed tight.

"I failed." The words finally came out of his mouth, of course he instantly regretted it. They were words that were a constant reminder about how weak he had been. He looked at her, expecting to be mocked. However, he noticed she looked concerned. He wasn't sure if he wanted her looking at him that way. Leaning forward, he glared at the floor below them. "I failed both of you."

Feeling the warmth of her hand on his shoulder, his lips twisted into a frown. "You should hate me, despise me even. After everything I did... You welcome me back into your home and let me do as I wish. I don't understand."

Bulma dropped her hand, biting her lip nervously. She knew this talk was going to happen eventually. Today was apparently that day. "I don't hate you Vegeta. Far from it." She slid closer to him, "A lot of things have changed, so much that it's impossible for us to go back to how it used to be." She told him, her face saddening. "Months without hearing from you really took its toll on me... But I really don't hate you. I forgave you a long time ago."

He looked at her, his eyes searching for any sign of deceit. Almost drowning in those blue orbs of hers, he found none.

"I just don't understand though... I tried over and over again but I just couldn't figure it out." She continued. "Why did you leave? Did I do something to make you leave? Was it Trunks?" She asked, her voice cracking slightly.

He groaned, not being able to look at her. This was why he didn't want to talk to her about this. If she got emotional, it would physically pain him. "Every day I would push myself... The only thing I wanted more than anything was to ascend to the legendary Super Saiyan. Hours of training, hours of torturing my body and mind. Nothing I did mattered." He explained to her, hating how he was feeling.

His frown softened, "Then you had squeezed your annoying self into my life." Hearing her huff, he cracked a smirk. "Then it wasn't completely about ascending anymore. You were a part of my priority then. You were...mine."

Bulma felt her face warm at his words, her chest swelling. She wanted to grin, to scream in happiness. But she could see the conflict going on within Vegeta, she figured she could get excited later.

"I wanted to protect you Bulma, but I was too weak. I was at a stalemate and as time kept passing, you just kept pushing yourself more into my life." He tried to explain. "I just couldn't ascend..." His head then went to his hands, "Then you got pregnant..." He shook his head, "How was I supposed to protect you both when I was so weak?"

"Was I a distraction?" She asked him softly.

He looked at her exhausted, "More than you can ever imagine."

Her heart felt like it skipped a beat in her chest, her hand hovering over it in disbelief. Why was she getting excited like this? She was supposed to be over this man, wasn't she? It must have been the situation they were in currently, that's all. "So you left so you could focus on getting stronger. No distractions. Just so you could protect us?"

He nodded, "Except I fucked up. Not only did I lose against that female toaster, I got destroyed by Cell. I watched my son die. I wasn't even strong enough to even avenge him."

Bulma realized he had been talking about their son from the future. "He's alive now, that's what matters." She tried to explain to him, receiving a head shake. She sighed, finding herself leaning towards him. Wrapping her arms around him, she hugged him tight. Expecting anger, she received silence. "You always want to fight every battle by yourself... It's okay to get help every now and then." She told him softly. "I'm proud of you Vegeta, I don't care what happened in the past. I really don't. Just don't repeat it, I don't want to be put through you leaving again."

He remained still as her warmth surrounded him. Breathing in, his body went limp as her scent filled his nose. Everything about this woman brought him ease. "I won't leave you again. I wont leave either of you." It was strange. Despite his weakness, he felt oddly better confessing all of this to her. If she ever thought to tease or mock him in the future, he wasn't sure he'd be able to let her live.

Bulma felt herself finally grin, "That's exactly what I wanted to hear."


End file.
